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TAME IMPALA
+ Genesis Owusu + Sycco
@ RAC Arena, Perth
29th November 2022
(Live Review)

Review by Melanie Griffiths

Photos by Adrian Thomson

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Tame Impala, RAC Arena, 29/10/2022 // Photo – Adrian Thomson (_awii_)

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The Return of the King

For Perth fans, it wasn’t so much The Slow Rush as it was the slow wait. Having to wait as Tame Impala’s Perth date was rescheduled throughout the pandemic, West Aussies watched as the tour made its way around the globe spellbinding audiences. Finally, it was our turn, as the last stop on the tour turned into a homecoming. And as Kevin Parker stood on a foldback thanking the heaving RAC Arena crowd at the end of 2 hours of an indulgently tactile show, he returned a King.

From ordinary beginnings as a low-fi psych-rock band from Freo, Kevin Parker’s Tame Impala steadily rose to the top first locally and nationally before being embraced globally as the defining sound of the 2010s. The release of “The Slow Rush” in 2020 cemented Tame Impala’s place as a creative juggernaut and festival darling, and this show was a reflection of their success, Parker’s creative control and their ability to still connect on a familiar level evident as Parker introduced the band with a modest, “We are Tame Impala. We are from Fremantle.”

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Tame Impala, RAC Arena, 29/10/2022 // Photo – Adrian Thomson (_awii_)

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Tame Impala, RAC Arena, 29/10/2022 // Photo – Adrian Thomson (_awii_)

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“We finally made it guys, we finally made it back to Perth. I think it’s a pretty safe bet to say, it’s a special night – last night of the tour, hometown show.”

With the now popular massive appeal of Tame Impala also comes the influx of new fans. Previous Tame Impala concerts goers consisting of hipster and indie creatives now stood shoulder-to-shoulder with a younger mostly female crowd, with some not having been to many concerts before as they stood in the aisles for a better view, trawled the blocks for better empty seats or simply just jumped from the upper stands to get into general admission. Still, bad behaviour shouldn’t detract from what was going on stage, and it was a lot.

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Tame Impala, RAC Arena, 29/10/2022 // Photo – Adrian Thomson (_awii_)

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Tame Impala, RAC Arena, 29/10/2022 // Photo – Adrian Thomson (_awii_)

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Let’s be honest, the weed hung thick and constant over the crowd to the point you wondered if that heavy cloud wasn’t actually caused by the smoke machine. Not hard to imagine why given the hyper-sensory show that began with an intro video about Rushium that slowly turned into a mind-melting, hyper-colour kaleidoscope before kicking off into “One More Year”. Parker and his band took to the stage and became shadowy figures to the light show and mesmerising graphics that become another character in the performance. Straight into “Endors Toi” (Lonerism, 2012) which feels like being punched drunk and “Borderline” which is as close to a pop tune as Tame Impala will get, incrementally turned the energy up whilst showing the range of songs Parker had in his swag. By the hands in the air, swirling “Mind Mischief” thousands of Perth fans had fallen into Parker’s hands willing to do whatever he asked. At times the stage glowed red like an inferno before descending into blues as if we were descending deep into the ocean. A massive ring of light flashed like a UFO during “Apocalypse Dream”, and a retro laser show between “Breathe Deeper” and “Posthumous Forgiveness” was a nod back to their analogue, synthesiser-driven sound.

Through it all Parker embraced frontman duties from an extended guitar solo outro in “Gossip”, to walking the front of the stage microphone in hand completely at home traversing the different roles. The sound was almost studio perfect – clean, crisp yet warm, Tame Impala would take their time between each song to set up and the result was a performance that was close to flawless. Unsurprisingly given the crowd, Innerspeak’s “Runway Houses City Clouds” gave people a reason to catch their breath leaving “Currents” iconic hits “Elephant”, “Let It Happen” and the croon worthy “The Less I Know The Better” to get the crowd heaving and screaming in a sing-a-long. It was a response worthy of a rockstar, the adoration projected at Freo’s favourite son created a lovefest in the arena which could have easily filled a second night.

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Genesis Owusu, RAC Arena, 29/10/2022 // Photo – Adrian Thomson (_awii_)

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Sycco, RAC Arena, 29/10/2022 // Photo – Adrian Thomson (_awii_)

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With support acts Sycco and Genesis Owusu setting the stage with energetic, engaging sets to make way for Tame Impala, The Slow Rush will likely be talked about in wistful terms the way those who saw Daft Punk’s Alive show on the Esplanade in 2007 do. Overwhelming in its delivery inducing a dizzying rush at times like you’re just coming up for air Tame Impala delivered a creative tour de force.

Welcome home.

4.5/5

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Tame Impala, RAC Arena, 29/10/2022 // Photo – Adrian Thomson (_awii_)

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Check out Adrian Thomson’s gallery of this event HERE

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Follow TAME IMPALA
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

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AMNPLIFY – DB